My father left/was kicked out when I was about 3, my older brother was 7 and my baby brother was 1. I never really got to know my father, but what I did know, I didn’t like. He spent a few of those years in prison, for killing a man. That’s something that almost no one knows outside of our family…my ex-husband never even knew that…it’s something very deep and private…in fact, my mother didn’t even want us to know, she was so ashamed that she’d had children with a man who was capable of taking another man’s life…my father & step-mother are actually the ones who told us…and then we asked my mother about it…I remember after I was told I had this nightmare, that my two brothers and my mom and I were sitting down to dinner, and I was sitting between the table and the wall/window (I was always the skinny one so I always got stuck by the wall) and we were eating and talking and laughing and all of a sudden my father pops up in the window and wraps his arms around my neck and holds a knife to my throat, I woke up screaming…my mom rushed in and hugged me, and kissed my forehead…I was probably 7 or 8…by this age I had realized that my mom wasn’t much into showing emotion…and I had learned how to hide a lot of my emotions…I didn’t cry…and I remember feeling slightly ashamed that I was crying in front of my mom, who I thought was the strongest person in the world, and part of my felt terrified from what I had just dreamed, and part of me felt like the luckiest person on earth for having such a great mom.

As a typical teenager girl, my mom and I fought, a lot. But, when I grew up and went away to school & work, and got married & divorced…while I was married, our relationship remained strained…but, she still called every weekend, to see how I was…and now, I’m happy to say she is one of my best friends…

My father use to come around about every 2 or 3 years and tried to pretend to be a great father…he took my brother to his baseball game once, and I went a long to watch…and my lil brother never quite felt safe or comfortable around our father…he always wanted me around too, just in case…and I remember our father saying how much gas he’d had to use to pick us up and take us to the game and back home…and having been taught to respect adults, a thought raced to my head, that I didn’t vocalize, now looking back I wished I had…I was probably 12 or 13…I thought, well, Mom does it about 10 times a week, when you consider all 3 kids and all our activities…and never once did I know how much gas it took her…she never complained, even when she was worn down and exhausted…she was always about us kids…so, this father’s day, I want to take a moment to thank all you awesome single mothers…who really are wonderful father’s and deserve to have more than 2 days a year of honor…here are some awesome single mom’s I’ve found by blog reading…take a moment, and stop by there sites, and let ‘em know how awesome they are…I know one day when their kids are older and realize how great their moms are, they let them know…but right now, I’m sure they’d appreciate a little bit of encouragement…so, here they are…in no particular order…

P.S. If I forgot anyone, or you know of any great single mother’s who blog out there…please leave me a comment with their url so I can add them, also, if you find a link that doesn’t work, let me know…I’m not too great with all this html stuff…I tested all of them, but that’s not saying much 😉

An intriguing read set in 1954 about a Japanese man that is on trial for murder. The book takes you back to the beginnings of World War 2 and the Japanese-Americans being relocated to confinement camps…it takes you through lost lands, loves and limbs, through glimpse of the characters lives…If you enjoy descriptive reading, then you’ll enjoy this. It doesn’t move super quickly, but it’s also not a boring read…I found it enjoyable…cover price is $14.95 here in the US, I fortunately got it on a buy one get one free sale at Barnes & Noble , so I didn’t actually pay anything for it, however, it still would have been worth it…it’s also worthy to note that it is a recipient of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the American Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award…overall, I’d give it 4 stars for easy readability and it’s ability to drag you into every scene, whether you want to go or not…the characters are all very unique, and as much as the evidence points to the main character, Kabuo Miyamoto’s guiltiness, you’ll find yourself hoping for his innocence.Even the hard-knock journalist Ishmael Chambers is likable…it’s hard to not like him despite his desolate outlook on the world…even though he’s been through horrible unimaginable things (like losing an arm) he’s still a good person, even though he struggles with a lot of internal conflicts…the book spends a lot of time examining the psyches of these people, which adds to the descriptiveness of the book, but also aids in making the reader become part of the book…I realize I’m probably rambling a lot and it’s not exactly a book review my high school English teacher would have accepted, but…it is a good book that I’d recommend…and for some other reviews by some more affluent, good-with-words reviewers, in all fairness though, I should let you know I only picked the ones that I agreed with…

“Haunting… A whodunit complete with courtroom maneuvering and surprising turns of evidence and at the same time a mystery, something altogether richer and deeper.” –Los Angeles Times

“Guterson uses a rich scenario and cast of characters to explore issues much deeper than the usual. Like the snowfall that is its constant refrain, Snow Falling On Cedars builds up gradually, steadily, surrounding the reader with its magic.” –Newsday

“Intriguing…. At various moments a courtroom drama, an interracial love story, and a war chronicle. Guterson melds these components into a novel that explores how individuals and communities abuse, retreat from, or use their histories as motivating forces. Vividly written.” –San Francisco Chronicle